The survey obtained information on the recruitment of American Indians into social work, assessed the nature of their formal social work education, and considered the relevance and efficacy of their training for work with Indian people, especially in child welfare matters. Information was also gathered on the formal and informal programming for the recruitment and retention of Indian students and faculty, and the numbers of recent Indian graduates with MSW degrees and their employment histories. Questionnaires were mailed to Indian students, graduates, faculty, and 84 accredited schools of social work. Responses were received from 19 students, 26 graduates, 10 faculty, and 54 schools. Respondents were asked: their opinions on curricular content and on how social work educational programs might be improved to better serve Indian students and social work practitioners with Indian clientele. Conclusions drawn from the survey were that: formal graduate educational programs in social work for Indians in off-reservation colleges appeared to be the most effective way of serving Indian students and their communities; much more work needed to be done by schools of social work, including those schools with formalized programs for Indians, to improve all aspects of their programs so that they can better serve Indian people; and there was a need for greater participation by Indian people in many aspects of these programs. (NQ)

plus-circle Add Review

comment

Reviews